


Live

by Vanilleroks



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Aftermath, Alternate Universe, Angst, Emotional, Kinda, Other, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 20:12:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15080828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanilleroks/pseuds/Vanilleroks
Summary: After the final battle with Ardyn, Prompto Argentum has to adjust to a new life living alone. Deciding to put down his camera, he turns to painting as a creative outlet. Never in his wildest dreams did he think it would give him the opportunity to finally find the closure he desperately needed. A non-cannon Final Fantasy XV  sequel fanfiction with a fair bit of angst.





	Live

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a class I'm taking and there was a page limit, so please excuse me if it feels rushed at any point.

“What a night,” Prompto Argentum sighed, watching the pouring rain drench the plants outside. 

Ever since Noctis Lucis Caelum, the Crown Prince of Lucis, had died, the weather had been dreary. His sacrifice had brought about the end of the daemons, and so he, along with his coworkers, were out of a job. With the daemon threat eradicated, there was no need for daemon hunters any longer. 

As a flash of lightning lit up the sky in the distance, he turned his attention to the wall in front of him. He had been hanging up the photographs from the road trip with Gladio, Ignis, and Noctis on this wall, every inch covered with images of them all. Despite the pain it brought him to see photographs of his late friend so soon after his passing, this wall was something Prompto had been determined to do since he moved in. After all, this was his first time really living on his own since the trip. 

Once the final picture, an image of Noctis next to a chocobo, was finally on the wall, he sat down with his camera. He slid his finger across the dusty lens, taking a deep breath. The camera, once one of his most prized possessions, only reminded him of what he had lost during the trip; his best friend and savior, Noctis. He felt no desire to take photos anymore. Instead, he wanted to throw it at a wall and toss the pieces into a pit of fire. The only reason that he hadn’t was because it was expensive. Plus, he could probably give it to Gladio to give to his sister. She had seemed interested in it the last time they had talked. 

A knock at his door pulled him out of his thoughts. Putting his camera on top of a crate in the corner, he walked slowly towards the door, drawing his gun just in case it was a soldier from Niflheim. Although they weren’t much of a threat anymore, there had been a few stragglers every once in a while. 

“Who is it?” he called out, his pulse quickening.

“It’s us,” Gladio’s voice boomed from the other side, “Open up. Iggy brought tea.”

With a sigh of relief, he put his gun in the waistband of his pants, opening the door. Gladio smiled, helping Ignis inside. Ever since he had been blinded, Gladio hadn’t left his side. Prompto assumed that that was the product of Gladio’s need to protect someone. He had been King Regis’s shield before he was Noctis’s, and now he seemed to be shielding Ignis. 

“How’ve you been?” Ignis asked as Prompto closed and locked the door. 

“Good, good. This place is pretty nice considering how cheap it is,” Prompto grinned, his voice peppy as always. 

“You put up all your pictures?” Gladio asked, staring at a photo of himself and Noctis holding up the Liege of the Lake. 

“Uh, yeah,” Prompto began, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck with his fingertips, “I did. They were all pretty good shots. It’d be a waste if I didn’t.”

“I’m sure they look great,” Ignis said, using his probing cane to get to the small kitchen. 

“They do,” Gladio confirmed, tearing his eyes away to help Ignis.

They all drank tea, catching up for a while before Ignis and Gladio had to go. 

The rain was still coming down hard when Prompto set up a canvas on an easel. He hadn’t painted in a really long time, but he remembered reading somewhere that it was a good way for someone to get their feelings out. At this point, he was desperate to get rid of this feeling of utter hopelessness. So, he painted, letting his heart guide the brush. 

In the end, the painting turned out to be him, Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio at a campsite gathered around a fire. Ignis wasn’t blind in this painting, and Gladio didn’t have that extra scar on his forehead. More importantly, Noctis was actually awake, talking to Prompto in the painting with an amused expression. If he was being honest, Prompto would give anything to go back in time and relive those moments of idle chit chat and crude jokes. 

“Not too bad,” he yawned, setting down his palette and brushes.

He stretched, his back popping loudly. His eyelids felt heavy, so he decided to clean up in the morning. Abandoning the mess he had made with the paints, he plopped onto his bed and closed his eyes. Sleep overtook him almost immediately.

“Prompto,” a voice called out softly, a gentle yet firm hand patting his cheek to get him to wake up. 

Prompto clicked his tongue, softly pushing away the person’s hand.

“Just five more minutes,” he whined, shifting in his seat.

It was then that he realized he had just fallen into a bed in his house, and that there was nobody with him when he had fallen asleep. 

His eyes flew open, his heart racing. He was sitting in a mesh foldable chair, a fire crackling in front of him. Noctis was staring at him, his arms crossed. Ignis was cooking behind Gladio, who was reading a book peacefully. The entire scene made his head swim, his thoughts incoherent as the confusion began to set in.

“Am I dreaming?” Prompto asked, staring at Noctis.

“You wish,” Noctis rolled his eyes, pointing at Ignis. “Dinner is almost ready. You gotta stay up if you want any.”

As Noctis turned to walk away, Prompto grabbed his wrist, holding him back. His mouth kept opening and closing, the words he wanted to say getting stuck in his throat. He had so many questions, but he didn’t know where to start. 

“What are you, a fish?” Noctis chuckled, using his free hand to close Prompto’s mouth. “Think about what you want to say before you start talking.” 

Prompto tried to collect his thoughts, Noctis visibly growing uncomfortable as they silently stared at each other. Just as Noctis opened his mouth to say something, Prompto stood swiftly and pulled him into a tight hug.

“You’re alive! I can’t believe you’re alive! If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up,” he sobbed, hot tears streaming down his face.

“Um,” Noctis stiffened, awkwardly patting Prompto on the back, “Yeah, I’m alive. Did you have a nightmare or something?” 

Prompto didn’t say anything, burying his face in Noctis’s shoulder. The awkward taps on his back calmed him down, and he eventually let go of his friend, wiping his face with a smile.

“Sorry about that. I probably shouldn’t cling to the future king like that.”

Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio were all looking at him. Ignis and Gladio looked legitimately concerned, but Noctis kept his usual expression. They all looked at each other for a moment, the air around them growing more tense with the passing moments. It wasn’t often that Prompto cried in front of them. He was supposed to be the upbeat one.

“S-So,” Prompto began, “Is the food done yet?” 

“Just a moment,” Ignis answered, turning his attention to plating the food. 

They all ate together, Prompto staring at Noctis for a majority of the time. Nobody said anything about it, but he was fairly sure that they had all noticed it. He was exactly being discreet about it or anything, so that came as no surprise. He just didn’t know how to process everything that was happening.

Was it a dream? A memory? 

It all felt too real for that. 

After they ate, Noctis went into his tent to sleep. Prompto was tempted to follow him, afraid that the prince would disappear if he let him out of his sight, but even Prompto knew that that was crossing a weird line. So, he decided to retire to his own tent. His eyes closed, and he allowed sleep to overcome him once more.

Just as the last time, his eyes opened again almost immediately, the ceiling of his home greeting him. He sat up, the easel and wall of photos letting him know that seeing the guys like that was, in fact, a dream. He felt an overwhelming sense of sadness, his heart clenching.

It had all felt so real. The fact that it wasn’t reality was just cruel. 

He stood up, going back to his painting. To his surprise, the painting version of himself and Noctis were no longer around the fire, and Ignis was now sitting beside Gladio. It was just as he had left it in his dream. Part of him was freaking out, wondering what was happening and why, but the other part of him was just wondering if he could get back to that dream. 

Setting the easel beside his bed, he examined the painting closely before laying back down. His eyes closed, and then they opened a moment later, the top of his tent greeting him now. 

“No way,” he whispered, sitting up and unzipping his tent.

Gladio and Ignis were by the fire, Ignis showing Gladio a picture of something on a piece of film. There was no doubt in his mind that that was a picture that he had taken. Prompto used a special film that had the Caelum family crest on the back. 

“Hey, Iggy,” he called out softly, being careful not to wake up Noctis, who was most likely already asleep in the other tent.

“Yes?” Ignis turned around, handing the photo to Gladio. 

“Do we have coffee?” Prompto asked sheepishly, getting out of his tent and sitting in his foldable chair once more.

“Of course,” Ignis stood, preparing to make the coffee.

“Why do you want coffee?” Gladio asked, watching Prompto suspiciously.

“I’m just suddenly craving some,” he grinned, relaxing in his seat.

It was obvious that Gladio didn’t believe him, but he just shrugged it off. Excusing himself, Gladio went into his tent, Prompto looking up at the sky. 

If staying awake meant things could stay like this, he wouldn’t fall asleep. Here, Ignis had never lost his vision, Gladio had never left them alone, they had never found out about Prompto’s secret, and, most importantly, Noctis was alive. He would gladly endure exhaustion if he could keep his best friend.

After Ignis gave Prompto his coffee, he went into his tent, leaving the photographer alone by the fire. Prompto spent the night flipping through Gladio’s book, skimming some pages and skipping others entirely. When he got bored of that, he fiddled with his camera, wondering if he should take any pictures. Despite where he was currently, he still felt no desire to. 

“Still awake?” Ignis asked, zipping up his tent.

“Yeah,” Prompto smiled, setting his camera aside. 

“Noct should be up soon. I’ve asked him to help with breakfast.”

Just as Ignis finished speaking, a groggy Noctis crawled out of his tent, his eyes still closed. He yawned as he shuffled towards the little kitchen setup Ignis had, Ignis patting his shoulder a few times as a way to show sympathy. They then began to cook, Prompto watching them. 

He still couldn’t believe that Noctis was there. 

After a long while, Gladio came out of his tent. Soon after, Ignis and Noctis served breakfast, and everyone ate before packing up and getting into the Regalia. They drove towards Hammerhead, hoping to get the tires changed by Cindy. 

Night fell upon them before they could arrive, however, and so they set up camp once again. Prompto asked for coffee just as he had the night before, but this time everyone wanted to know why. So, he explained it to them.

The whole situation was insane, and nobody tried to hide that in their expressions as he explained. However, nobody interrupted him. They all let him explain what was going on, listening to his words closely. When he finished, Noctis sighed, hitting Prompto on the side of the head to tell him he was an idiot.

“If that’s true, you need to go to sleep,” he told Prompto, crossing his arms.

“Noct is right. That would mean this isn’t your reality. You’d be leaving behind the real versions of us,” Ignis added.

Gladio just seemed annoyed. He wasn’t the type of person to indulge in theoretical situations, and it was obvious that he didn’t believe Prompto was telling the truth. He didn’t say anything, but Prompto could tell he wanted to.

“If I go to sleep here, I’ll wake up in a world where I don’t have anything,” Prompto protested, his eyes beginning to water, “A world where Iggy is blind and Gladio has to take care of him. A world where… Where…” 

Prompto closed, his eyes, wiping the tears off his face as he clenched his teeth. He didn’t want to say it out loud. He hadn’t said it yet, and he wasn’t ready to. That would mean accepting that it had happened, and it would make it all too real. 

“Where what?” Noctis asked. 

Prompto’s hands started shaking, his bottom lip starting to quiver. He felt like he was a child, crying about his parents leaving him behind with a babysitter. Although he knew his behavior was justified, he didn’t want them to see him like this. He had always tried to take on the role of the comedic relief, and he didn’t want to burden his friends since they all had so much to worry about already. 

“Prompto,” Noctis tapped his foot against Prompto’s, trying to get his attention, “Aren’t you the one that said I can rely on you?”

“You can,” Prompto rushed, opening his eyes again. 

“Well, I’m relying on you right now. I’m supposed to be your best friend, right? Aren’t best friends supposed to be there for each other?” Noctis was uncomfortable again, but he maintained eye contact. 

“That’s why I don’t want to go back,” Prompto looked at his feet, “Noct… Going back means losing you all over again, and I can’t do it.”

“What do you mean?” Ignis asked.

“He’s right there,” Gladio grumbled. 

“You’re not going to lose me,” Noctis frowned. 

“I already lost you!” Prompto shouted, standing up and looking at Noctis straight on. “You’re dead!”

As soon as the words left his lips, he began sobbing. Memories of Noctis’s body in the destroyed palace sitting on the throne slumped over and lifeless consuming him. He felt a hand on his back, and then two. Neither of them were Noctis’s. 

“Listen to me, Prompto,” Noctis ordered, waiting for Prompto to look at him before continuing, “I am the Crown Prince of Light. I have a duty to the crystal, and to my kingdom. That includes you. If I’m dead, that means your life was in danger.”

“But that—!” 

“Don’t interrupt me!” Noctis boomed, catching Prompto off guard. “You running away from reality means I died in vain. I didn’t die so you could live your life in a fantasy world. I died so you could live.”

“I _am_ alive—”

“But you’re here,” Noctis interrupted again. “Go back to where you belong and _live_ damn it!” 

Prompto fell silent, Noctis glaring at him. The way Noctis was standing reminded him of the way the late King Regis would stand when addressing the people; the stance of a true king. 

“Okay,” he said finally, sitting down again. 

Gladio, Ignis, and Noctis all watched him as he closed his eyes.

“You know,” he said softly, his lips curving into a slight smile, “You really looked like a king just now, Noct. It reminded me of the you who sent us away to fight Ardyn alone.”

“You better not come back until you’re dead,” was all Noctis said in response.

And then his eyes opened again, the wall of photographs greeting him this time. He sat up, looking at the easel, tears collecting in his eyes.   
Instead of the painting he had lived in just moments ago, the canvas was blank, a single word painted in Noctis’s handwriting in big, bold letters: LIVE.


End file.
